Captain Eddie Allen, is widely known for his smoke ballooning. Edward B. (Eddie) Allen was born into a ballooning family on August 24, 1896. Eddie's first balloon flight was in 1912 at the tender age of 16. This initial ascent was followed by a lifetime of 3,253 ascensions often with parachute drops from a trapeze. Flights by his smoke balloon were propelled upward by a large muslin bag filled with black smoke, often made by burning old tires. A volunteer ground crew hung on until launch was possible and then released and the balloon ascended very quickly. Cooling of the hot air and smoke resulted in an uncontrolled descent.

In their heyday prior to WW II, the Flying Allens; Eddie, his son, Eddie,Jr. and his daughters Gloria & Florence performed at fairs and air shows in many states. Some time after lifting off they would release the parachute and float back to earth. Their acts included the famous cannon act where Florence would be carried aloft by the balloon in a “cannon” and then would be “shot” out of the cannon and parachute to earth. This “cannon” and other memorabilia of the “Flying Allens” are now on display at the National Balloon Museum.